First Winter Suite: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Grant has built this suite specifically for the reality of early-season programming: short movements, minimal instrumentation requirements, and genuine musical substance that doesn't talk down to young players. The embedded folk tunes ("Up on the Housetop" and "Auld Lang Syne") give students recognizable anchors while the original movements teach them to think beyond method book exercises. You'll actually want to conduct this.

Bright and approachable without losing musicality. Grant's orchestrations give each movement its own character: the fanfare crackles with energy, the "Roof Riffs" bounce with holiday charm, the snowman piece entertains with gentle percussion storytelling, and the finale lands with a sense of accomplishment. The short length means no movement overstays its welcome.

Beginning band directors with limited instrumentation who still want cohesive, engaging winter programming. Students in their first or second year of playing will find four distinct musical experiences that feel complete rather than simplified. The suite works equally well for directors building mixed-level rehearsals where some students read only a handful of notes.

• Treat "Season's Sounding Fanfare" as a genuine opener, not filler. Even at this level, clarity of ensemble articulation transforms it from cute to commanding.
• The "Roof Riffs" arrangement gives clarinet and trumpet the melodic spotlight; make sure these players commit to their line's rhythmic precision so the tune reads clearly through the texture.
• "Escaping the Snowman" works best when percussion players understand they're telling a narrative. Discuss the musical storytelling with them separately to build their ownership of the feature.
• Use the play-along tracks in sectional rehearsals, not just full band run-throughs. Sections that lock in early to the recording arrive at concert secure.

Frame this as your concert band's opening statement at a December concert, then build a varied program around it with chamber selections, full-band arrangements of folk material, or supplemental pieces from your method books. The suite's four distinct movements give you natural pacing options; you might perform all four as a block or space them throughout the concert as connective tissue between longer works.

• Reading simple melodic lines with limited range
• Entering confidently on rhythm patterns established by a small ensemble
• Sustaining single notes and short phrases with control
• Responding to visual conducting gestures in miniature formal structures
• Accompanying a melody with simple harmonic support
• Tracking percussion features and their relationship to band texture